Thelma & Louise
Short description
Thelma & Louise is a 1991 adventure crime drama directed by Ridley Scott, the seventh of the thirty-four films he has directed in chronological order, following Black Rain and preceding 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Written by Callie Khouri and produced by Scott and Mimi Polk Gitlin, it stars Susan Sarandon as Louise, a waitress in a roadside diner, and Geena Davis as Thelma, a housewife married to a controlling husband. The two friends set out on a weekend trip in Louise's car, hoping to escape the routine of their lives. A violent encounter with a man at a roadside bar changes everything, and the pair end up on the run rather than turning to the police, pursued across the American Southwest by Detective Hal Slocumb, played by Harvey Keitel. Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald and Stephen Tobolowsky appear in supporting roles.
The film is a road movie and a crime story about two women whose getaway becomes a flight from the law, and about the loyalty that holds them together as their situation grows more dangerous. It was made for a budget of sixteen million dollars and took about forty-five million dollars worldwide.
Reception was strong across the board. The film critics' rating stands at 8.1 out of 10 from 156 reviews, and audiences agree closely: it holds 7.6 out of 10 on IMDb from around 192,000 votes and the same 7.6 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 4,000 votes. The consistency across critics and viewers reflects its lasting standing as one of the notable American films of its era.
What's left behind the scenes
- Ridley Scott was so impressed with Hans Zimmer's music that it was decided to use it for the opening credits. Originally, the credits were planned for the end of the film, and the beginning would only show the title of the picture.
- During pre-production and filming, Ridley Scott carefully listened to actors' ideas for changing certain scenes. Susan Sarandon contributed a particularly large number of suggestions that made it into the final film. For example, the following scenes were added to the script: — a scene where Louise packs her shoes in plastic bags; — a scene where Louise trades her jewelry for a hat with an old man; — a scene where Louise pulls over the car at night and looks at the stars while Thelma sleeps; — the scene between Louise and Jimmy in the hotel was also almost completely rewritten.
- For the erotic scene involving Brad Pitt and Geena Davis, director Ridley Scott wanted to find a body double for the actress. Upon learning of his plans, Davis insisted on performing the scene herself.
- An alternative ending to the film exists, shot to a blues song by B.B. King. However, Ridley Scott preferred a more dynamic finale set to music by Hans Zimmer.
- Holly Hunter and Frances McDormand were considered for the roles of Thelma and Louise, respectively.
- The role of Louise was offered to Cher.
- Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep had long wanted to star together in a film. “Thelma & Louise” was one of the projects the actresses considered. But ultimately, they decided to star in “Death Becomes Her” (1992).
- The scene where Darryl slips and falls on construction materials was not in the script. Christopher McDonald actually slipped and fell, but decided to stay in character and began shouting at the construction workers.
- George Clooney auditioned for the role of JD five times, but he never got the part.
- Initially, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster were to play Thelma and Louise respectively, Ridley Scott was to be the producer, and Callie Khouri, the film's screenwriter, was also to direct. However, preparation for the film was significantly delayed, Pfeiffer and Foster left the project, and Ridley agreed to direct the picture.
- Producers spent so much time finding a suitable actress for the role of Louise that they even had to conclude a special agreement with Geena Davis, who agreed to play both Thelma and Louise.
- Ridley Scott filmed an extended ending where we see the car slowly fly into the abyss. This scene can be viewed on a special DVD edition.
- Catherine Keener played Hal Slocomb's (Harvey Keitel) wife, but the only scene featuring her was cut from the film.
- Five 1966 Thunderbird convertibles were used during the filming of the movie.
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